The Hindu : Sport : Yuvraj Singh back in Test squad

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Yuvraj Singh back in Test squad

S. Dinakar

Pragyan Ojha returns with the selectors picking horses for courses

— Photo: K. V. Srinivasan

THE MEN WHO MATTER: Indian cricket team captain M. S. Dhoni with the Selection Committee Chairman, K. Srikkanth, at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.

Chennai: The 15-member Indian squad for the two-Test cricket series against England has the right blend of experience and youth. The five-member selection committee, headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth, picked the team at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Thursday. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and BCCI Secretary N. Srinivasan attended the meeting held under tight security.

The meeting began at 3 p.m. and concluded 40 minutes later suggesting there were no major differences of opinion. Importantly, the mercurial Yuvraj Singh is back.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha returns to the Test squad with the selectors picking horses for courses; an additional spinner offered more to the team as a back-up than a fourth paceman in the sub-continental conditions.

Ojha’s minor shoulder niggle was not considered serious enough to block his selection. If the surface offers spin, then a left-arm spinner can be the most potent bowler against the right-handed batsmen.

And, the English middle-order is packed with right-handers.

Ojha was part of the Test squad that toured Sri Lanka earlier this year but found himself replaced by leg-spinner Amit Mishra for the home series against Australia.

The thinking of the selecting panel could not be faulted here; the idea was to groom a leg-spinner when Anil Kumble was still around.

When an injury ruled Kumble out of the second Test, Mishra impressed.

Now, the retirement of Kumble has created a vacancy in the squad.

It was only right that Ojha was recalled; the lad from Hyderabad is a genuine spinner of the ball.

R.P. Singh left out

Rudra Pratap Singh has been left out. The paceman has possibilities — the left-armer has this ability to surprise batsmen with bounce — and should be in the scheme of things when India plays on livelier tracks.

S. Badrinath has held on to his spot as an additional middle-order batsman. Although he was a part of the squad, Badrinath was not fielded in any of the Tests against Australia; it would have been grossly unfair to drop him without offering him a chance. To his credit, Badrinath has continued to notch up hundreds in the Ranji Trophy.

The cricketer will, however, have to look carefully over his shoulder. Cheteshwar Pujara is a technically sound batsman, who has made a mountain of runs this season.

In a country where quality openers are a precious commodity, it is important to nurse the top-order batsmen. The selection of M. Vijay for the fourth Test against Australia in Nagpur was an inspired move by the selection panel.

Considering the significance of the Test, it was a bold decision. Vijay batted solidly in both the innings of a high-pressure Test. He rightly retains his place in the squad as a back-up opener.

A match-winner

Of course, the return of Yuvraj was widely anticipated. The talented southpaw has a glorious opportunity to bury the disappointments of the past in the game’s longest version. With Sourav Ganguly leaving the international stage, Yuvraj will not receive a better chance to seal his place in the middle-order. He is a match-winner and cricketers of his ilk come rare.

Srikkanth calls Yuvraj a confidence cricketer and the left-hander’s self-belief will hold the key to his performances in Test cricket. The selectors have also backed Rahul Dravid to come good in the series.

The squad: M.S. Dhoni (captain), V. Sehwag (vice-captain), G. Gambhir, R. Dravid, S. Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, A. Mishra, Ishant Sharma, M. Patel, P. Ojha, S. Badrinath and M. Vijay.

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